5 Things To Keep In Mind When Hiring A Chinese Interpreter

If you are traveling to China for a business or pleasure trip, you must be looking for professional translation services or experienced interpreters. People visiting their production houses, suppliers, or associates need the best business translation services to scale their business. But you also need English to Chinese translation services during your vacation to China.

Regardless of the reason, for great Chinese translation service, you have to hire an experienced interpreter. This means you must partner with the best Chinese translation agency. Having an interpreter with you helps bridge the cultural gap and overcome the language barrier to make your trip more comfortable.

Here are five of the most important things you must keep in mind when choosing the best Chinese interpreter.

1. Evaluation and analysis

Not everybody has the vocal clarity and fluency to make a good interpreter. You need to work with someone who has a neutral accent so you can easily understand their speech. You cannot risk hiring a reliable interpreter from a translation agency unless you do not assess the company’s credentials. Anyone who wishes to appoint a Chinese interpreter must double-check the reputation of the company before making a choice. Another thing you can do is verify a list of its previous clients. Conducting a background check of the company and its past clients will help you assess the quality of their services.

2. Pay attention to your needs

Identify your needs before hiring a Chinese interpreter. Waterstone Translations offers two kinds of interpretation services: consecutive interpretation and simultaneous interpretation. Consecutive interpretation is suitable for all occasions, such as business presentations, meetings, and discussions. Once the speaker completes a sentence, the interpreter translates the language and does not use any special equipment. If an interpreter is interpreting a presentation off-stage or on-stage, they will speak into a microphone so everyone in the room can understand what the Chinese speaker is saying.

Simultaneous interpretation takes place in real-time. Generally, this type of interpretation works best for high-level meetings, large conferences, and conventions. Since simultaneous interpretation demands expertise and can be mentally taxing, it is common for an interpreter to take regular breaks during the session. In many cases, two interpreters take turns to interpret a large event.

3. Terms and conditions of the contract

Partnering with a translation agency for interpreting services requires you to sign a contract. However, never sign any document that has hidden clauses or does not mention all details of the contract. Translation services expect you to abide by a legal contract because you cannot treat your interpreter like a casual assistant. 

Legal contracts mention the terms and conditions that you must agree to when hiring an interpreter. You cannot make your interpreter work for extended hours unless indicated in the agreement. Similarly, the agreement also protects the interest of the client. Some clients require that the interpreter they choose must match their accent or use a particular tone. All such details are stipulated in the contract.

4. Software and equipment

If you need an interpreter for a conference, some participants will require portable systems referred to as the ‘whisper system’ to hear the audio output of the simultaneous interpreter instantly. When you hire an interpreter with us, we provide our interpreters with a microphone and a headset in an isolated booth, and the listeners receive individual headsets. There is no equipment failure to guarantee smooth translation services. 

5. Training or experience?

When choosing a professional translation service, you always wonder whether you should go for training or experience. However, both factors are essential when selecting a translation agency for hiring an interpreter. Experience or training alone cannot guarantee successful interpretation services.

While training allows interpreters to become familiar with the general requirements of most clients, experience helps them adapt to the nuances of conversations. Hence, both elements are equally important when choosing an interpreting service for your needs.

Final Thoughts

We provide professional translation services because we work with professionally trained and experienced interpreters. Our rigorous screening process allows us to handpick the best translators and interpreters to exceed your expectations. If you want to know more about our translation services and interpreters, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.